by James Logue

NEWS EDITOR

I don't participate in extreme sports. I'm too old and too chicken. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't put myself at risk every now and again. Every day, in fact.

Yes, I shave.

I know, a lot of you probably are saying, "Jamie, are you crazy?"

I've never had much success with facial hair trends. My feeble attempts at a goatee have been well documented in this space.

Nor do I do well with stubble. Don Johnson I'm not.

And so, I shave.

And I bleed.

The problem is with these new razors that have two or three blades. For me, that's two or three more opportunities to cut myself. They put some strip on the blade that allows for a more comfortable shave, but what it does is to instill a false sense of security.

At first you are sailing along, shaving with smooth, pain-free strokes, and then suddenly you're missing a significant portion of your upper lip. I know most accidents happen in the home, but this is ridiculous.

The big problem with shaving is that it's rarely done under ideal conditions. You're either sleepy, in a hurry or caught up singing the score from "Carousel."

I suppose I could switch to electric razors, but then again I take the view that blades help build character (and scar tissue). You never saw Humphrey Bogart using an electric shaver. For that matter, you never saw him use an electric toothbrush, but that's for another column.

And so for now I will continue to use blades, and I will promise myself that I'll be more careful. However, I'll still keep the number for the local blood bank handy.

News Editor James Logue can be reached at 626-1031 or by e-mail at jlogue@exponent-telegram.com